Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $755 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
Learn more

Baguio Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Baguio

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Baguio actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $755 in Baguio.

Austin, TX $2,704
Baguio $755

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,183 in Baguio.

Austin, TX $4,133
Baguio $1,183

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,611 in Baguio.

Austin, TX $5,562
Baguio $1,611

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 258% more expensive than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Baguio is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$3.97 ₱249

409.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$16.85 ₱1,060

404.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$2.76 ₱174

347.46%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$1.84 ₱115

197.28%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$0.60 ₱37.85

536.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.34 ₱21.46

635.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$1.01 ₱63.8

698.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$1.64 ₱103

448.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.69 ₱106

-33.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.13 ₱71.1

234.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.03 ₱64.7

215.53%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.02 ₱127

104.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$4.96 ₱312

163.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.37 ₱212

324.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$7.68 ₱483

107.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.31 ₱145

89.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.60 ₱100

-9.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.33 ₱147

94.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.08 ₱67.7

287.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.67 ₱105

57.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.72 ₱108

37.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.67 ₱42.02

162.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.53 ₱33.24

307.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$2.98 ₱188

229.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$8.72 ₱548

68.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.97 ₱61.3

186.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.08 ₱131

67.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.25 ₱15.77

496.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$12.66 ₱796

219.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.83 ₱52.1

221.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.25 ₱15.82

532.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$1.89 ₱119

1767.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.25 ₱78.9

-20.80%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

69.36%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.2K $27.2K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

40.38%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$219 $219

$142 ₱8,935

54.34%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$58.0 $58.0

$17.90 ₱1,126

223.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$23.77 ₱1,495

187.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$21.07 ₱1,325

174.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$5.18 ₱326

186.10%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$5.15 ₱324

174.37%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,509 $1,509

$132 ₱8,329

1039.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$10.8K ₱677.2K

99.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$29.14 ₱1,832

77.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$19.94 ₱1,254

120.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$73.0 ₱4,591

16.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$55.5 ₱3,489

89.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$403 ₱25.3K

379.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$195 ₱12.2K

553.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$824 ₱51.8K

345.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$460 ₱28.9K

448.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,677 ₱168.4K

184.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$928 ₱58.3K

244.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$185 ₱11.6K

2664.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.75

0.59%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Baguio

$195 25.8% 84.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Baguio

$175 23.2% 56.6% $228

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Baguio

$74 9.8% 78.7% $274

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Baguio

$184 24.4% 46.8% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Baguio

$80 10.6% 37.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 63.6% $55

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 72.4% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $403 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 2664% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $17.00 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $175 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

04:05 4:05 AM

17:05 5:05 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

366,358

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

PHP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Baguio 13,400 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Baguio

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 258% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2664% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $403 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $755 in Baguio – a 258% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Baguio runs roughly 220% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $755 in Baguio versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baguio but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Baguio the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Baguio are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baguio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 258% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.